computer help, please!!!

[la Huerta]

can anyone instruct me on how to rid my laptop of window 98 and install XANDROS DESKTOP OS 3.0 my windows always has problems and it even efects the broadband conection, i was going to install xp home , but that is pricey and i only need a basic setup for email, web, photo and a few other simply programs, so linux was recomended, but how do i wipe everything from my laptop and install the new OS, i have installed and uninstalled many programs but never the OS or installed a new one ...some addvice please???

[pau1]

If you just want to wipe the disk, run your new linux install disk and during the setup process it will need to create a new filesystem. You should have the option to Blat the existing filesystem then. This will "erase" all your old data and OS.

[Stuart]

Buy a Mac mini.

[knucklehead]

My suggestion is not to make your first OS installation a Linux one.

Linux is great. Its free, adaptable and generaly easy to get running BUT getting the OS running is only the start. You need all of the peripherals to run as well. You make get lucky, but I doubt it.
Most people have trouble with, sound cards, video cards, burners, scanners, printers etc.

If you do go down the linux path you will learn a lot and IMHO it is what a lot more of us should do. Why do schools and buisnesses pay huge amounts of money for Microsoft products that only last a couple of years before they make them selves redundant?

End of rant (written on windows XP......sell out!)

[keith53]

Knucklehead makes some good points. Probably, if you knew how to install and setup Linux, you'd never have had to ask the question in this forum in the first place.

I currently use XP Pro but had Win98 for years without too many problems. Check for service packs and OS updates on the Microsoft web site. Do some tuning on your system (or get someone to do it for you). Changing an OS for what seems more like setup problems is a fairly dramatic step. Linux and Windows are like chalk and cheese and you really need to know what you're doing before going down that path.

Cheers,
Keith

[Dean]

Buy a Mac mini.

What about a Big Mac?
Perhaps a cheeseburger?

:D

[burn]

You may want to try ubuntu Linux (www.ubuntu.com). It has a 'live cd' you can download and basically run it's linux off the cd and not touch your windows disk. Once you confirm you can access all your peripherals etc, then you could install ubuntu linux on the hard disk (another CD).

Alternatively you could search the web for successful installs of a Linux (any flavour) on your model of laptop.

I have a HP/Compaq nx5000 which came with WinXP/Pro and I was most happy and surprised when I could
a. Test linux without wiping the disk to prove it worked
b. Actually install Linux and compress the Windows disk partition as part of the installation so I could dual boot (default Ubuntu and optionally WinXP/Pro).

Regards

Burn

[la Huerta]

what if i just used a diferent browser and mail client like firefox???

[burn]

If the problems you are having are just explorer and windows mail then firefox is an alternative certainly. Firefox is just going to replace two applications. If other issues are effecting you use of the laptop then it won't help.

I suppose you could just try it and see what happens. It it doesn't resolve your problems, then perhaps switch to a Linux based OS.

Burn

[Barry_White]

what if i just used a diferent browser and mail client like firefox???
I think going down the path of Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird is a better option. Since I changed I have had no spam, viuses or spyware since changing.

[la Huerta]

as mentioned above , will linux ask me when installing it to wipe out my old system...i know that this 98 does have problems and i don't get through more than a few days without having serious problems , my isp said that 98 is a problem with using broadband, i just looked the cost of xp home and it is'nt as pricey as i thought for an upgrade, but with a upgrade will any 98 problems still exist somewhere in the depths of my laptop, would i have to do a new install???

[la Huerta]

maybe i should save my money and time and wait till i can affort a better laptop, this is a dell and it's a few years old , what would be a better used laptop for around $5-$600 ...would most likely get one off ebay...

[kiwigeo]

Buy a Mac mini.
Stu...I thought I was the resident Mac nut in here. Nice to know Im not alone :)

[kiwigeo]

maybe i should save my money and time and wait till i can affort a better laptop, this is a dell and it's a few years old , what would be a better used laptop for around $5-$600 ...would most likely get one off ebay...
My preferences for PC notebooks...even though I dont use them these days:

1. Toshiba
2. IBM
3. Acer

Brands I wouldnt touch with a barge pole:

1. Compaq
2. Dell (typing on one here at work and I hate it)

My opinions of course but based on experience with the above machines.

[la Huerta]

i finely got this damm laptop going, i reinstalled internet explorer ie6 and my modem driver and so far so good, i have a stack of photos on here and that would likely affect performance so what is a cheap external storage device for my pics?...

just have to buy thicknesser first then in a few months i will look at upgrading to a more powerfull laptop with xp already on it , i like the toshiba...

[sbranden]

i finely got this damm laptop going, i reinstalled internet explorer ie6 and my modem driver and so far so good, i have a stack of photos on here and that would likely affect performance so what is a cheap external storage device for my pics?...

just have to buy thicknesser first then in a few months i will look at upgrading to a more powerfull laptop with xp already on it , i like the toshiba...
If you are mainly using it at home, consider having another computer on a network. Say a p1 200 with a decent size hard drive in it. Probably cost you around $100 for the drive and $20 for the computer (look around). You can then keep your pictures on the second computer and have 2 copies of other important files.

Alternatively there are usb external hard drives available fairly cheaply. A small network will give you more options though.

I am using a dual boot debian (linux)/ freebsd laptop to type this, but it only has a 40gb drive, so all my larger files and certainly the important ones are stored on a desktop which itself is backed up.

shaun

[Simomatra]

I think going down the path of Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird is a better option. Since I changed I have had no spam, viuses or spyware since changing.
I go with Barry I followed one of his earlier reomendation on this and have not had any spam virusews or spyware since

Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird for me

Sam images/icons/icon7.gifimages/icons/icon7.gif

[rbjozzia]

i finely got this damm laptop going, i reinstalled internet explorer ie6 and my modem driver and so far so good, i have a stack of photos on here and that would likely affect performance so what is a cheap external storage device for my pics?...

just have to buy thicknesser first then in a few months i will look at upgrading to a more powerfull laptop with xp already on it , i like the toshiba...

Get XP Pro with SP2 this is a very stable system, depends whether your lap top can take it. Ubuntu linux seems a good alternative as somebody else has mentioned (have'nt received my disk yet). Photos stored on CD Rom seems a good idea, do you have a CD burner?

Rob

[Ashore]

I go with Barry I followed one of his earlier reomendation on this and have not had any spam virusews or spyware since
Yes but wouldn't let you sent your e-mail addresshttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gifhttp://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/images/icons/icon10.gif

La Huerta
Have a toshiba laptop and very happy with it now that I removed MS and installed XP
Try the external drive via a usb connection ,Have a couple of friends who use them , one has a dedicated drive for photos , just plugs it in when working on them and can use it with other computers.
The other keeps 1 drive for Buissness & 1 for music.Just plugs in which ever he needs at the time.
I know when I next need to up date will go down the external drive path


Rgds
Russell


The trouble with life is there's no background music.

[la Huerta]

only problem is there's only one usb port on this laptop and it's used for broadband...i was thinking of a docking station type device so i can plug in , printer , external storage , broadband, wireless mouse, etc...

[Barry_White]

only problem is there's only one usb port on this laptop and it's used for broadband...i was thinking of a docking station type device so i can plug in , printer , external storage , broadband, wireless mouse, etc... Do you have a PCMCIA slot in your laptop. If so you could buy a Belkin USB PCMCIA card which comes with 2 USB slots and is Series 2.0. about $65.00.

I have one on mine and I have 2 by 4 port USB hubs connected to the computer and run a scanner, a CD Burner, Printer, USB Headset 2 way satelite connection for internet, Camera, Zip Drive, TV Tuner and a Mouse all USB connected to my laptop.

[kiwigeo]

just have to buy thicknesser first then in a few months i will look at upgrading to a more powerfull laptop with xp already on it , i like the toshiba...
Stuff the laptop.....put the dough towards the thicknesser. You can have much more fun with a power tool than a computer.

[kiwigeo]

La Huerta,

This might sound like a dumb question but do you really NEED a laptop? If not then youre paying a premium for portability you dont need. Youre also limiting hardware upgrade potential.

Cheers Martin

[la Huerta]

ok ...i think i will end this now before everyone gets carried away...yes it has a PCMCIA slot so that would be a good idea...yes i need a laptop, i know desktops are better value but i hate being stuck in one spot when using a computer ,and i do a bit of digital photography and can take it where i go...

thanks for the help , i am a lot wiser now, and yes the thicknesser must come first...

[Ashore]

only problem is there's only one usb port on this laptop and it's used for broadband...i was thinking of a docking station type device so i can plug in , printer , external storage , broadband, wireless mouse, etc...So buy a USH HUB allows you to put 4 usb devices into the one usb port about $25 at any computer fair. Then you can connect printer , external storage mouse , card reader
Or use a seconh hub pluged into the first one and you have room to plug in a scanner , camera, Gps ,
as I do
The whole idea of usb was to connect all your external units not just one unit






The trouble with life is there's no background music.

[la Huerta]

USB hub, i will get one on monday, on the way to bunnings to get a gmc thicknesser ...

by the way while on the subject , who has a digi camera and how many mp is good enough for quality website photos...

[Barry_White]

So buy a USH HUB allows you to put 4 usb devices into the one usb port about $25 at any computer fair. Then you can connect printer , external storage mouse , card reader
Or use a seconh hub pluged into the first one and you have room to plug in a scanner , camera, Gps ,
as I do
The whole idea of usb was to connect all your external units not just one unit






The trouble with life is there's no background music.


Ashore

The only problem with la Huerta's computer is that he only has one USB port on the computer and he must connect his 2 way satelite to it to make it work because it will not work on a USB Hub connection. So his best option is the PCMCIA USB card and then he can connect his USB hubs to this.

He can daisy chain his hubs as you can connect up to I think about 120 USB devices to the computer but his satelite connection must be connected directly to the computer.


by the way while on the subject , who has a digi camera and how many mp is good enough for quality website photos...
I am running a Canon A400 3.2MP camera and it give very high quality pictures for posting on the net.

[la Huerta]

is this what i am supose to get http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3710&item=5222537514&rd=1 only i will grab one localy ...

[Barry_White]

is this what i am supose to get http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3710&item=5222537514&rd=1 only i will grab one localy ...
Yes, that's the sort of thing. Mine is a 2 port USB made by Belkin at about $65.00. I bought it from Harvey Normans.

[la Huerta]

cheers guys...

[la Huerta]

i am going to keep this thread going as i am sure many members lack computer skills and would benifit ...so next question, any sugestions if a computer has suddenly slowed down and is very slow to respond , and also 'hangs' when downloading websites...?

[Barry_White]

i am going to keep this thread going as i am sure many members lack computer skills and would benifit ...so next question, any sugestions if a computer has suddenly slowed down and is very slow to respond , and also 'hangs' when downloading websites...?
Hi la Huerta

You could have a couple of problems. You could have spyware on your computer which will slow your computer down no end. To fix this problem you need to download the program Adaware which is free. If you go here you can get it. After I got rid of the 190 spyware programs I had on my computer it doubled the speed.

http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5

If you change to Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird and get Adaware you should get rid of 99% of your problems, as I have done. You should also get a good anti-virus software like Vet, Kaspersky or AVG the free one.

The other problem is if I remember you have a satelite connection to the internet. I have a satelite connection and I have been told that when you click on a page the delay comes from that the fact the signal has to go up to the satelite and then back down to somewhere in NSW and goes by ISDN connection to the internet and that is why if you look down in the left hand corner of your browser it will say waiting for www.whateversite you have connected to and as the the upload is only 64k it can take up to 30 seconds for the site to respond.

[la Huerta]

cheers mate, iheve norton viris and spybot search and destroy, so it can't be that,this broadband suposed to be faster but my dialup was, odd, but somehow i dont think it is the conection as some general programs seem to be slow responding to my actions, i gave the laptop a good clean , temp internet files , old photos etc...i tryed to run the disc defragmenter but it just goes to 10% and then restarts, again and again...

[Barry_White]

If you are defragging make sure your screen saver is turned off. This will sometimes make the defragger keep restarting and also disconnect your satelite connection.

[Ashore]

..i tryed to run the disc defragmenter but it just goes to 10% and then restarts, again and again...Norton anti virus can also cause de-frag problems try clicking on the icon and disable it . don't forget to switch it back on when you finish
If you still can't de-frag shut down and restart hold F8 key down and go into safe mode , start in safe mode and try de-frag again
If you havent de-fraged in a fair while it will take time just leave it going overnight .

Barry
but his satelite connection must be connected directly to the computer.

Didn't know that, my Broadband is wireless from a neighbours system via the lan connection


Rgds
Russell

The trouble with life is there's no background music.

[Barry_White]

Barry
but his satelite connection must be connected directly to the computer.

Didn't know that, my Broadband is wireless from a neighbours system via the lan connection


Rgds
Russell

The trouble with life is there's no background music.


Russell

That is the case with my connection as per Telstra's instructions. It is a USB connection into the satelite modem and must be connected to a USB port direct to the computer and not through a hub.

They say that it wont work other wise. I don't know if that is the case with other HiBIS providers

[ozplanit]

Hi La Huerta,

Just saw this thread and thought I'd see how you are going with your pc?

If I understand correctly you were undecided with the Linux option? and are still running Win98?? At this point I would agree with previous posts that WinXP service pack 2 is the best of the Windows options.

In addition if you were still keen on the Linux experience you could always look at the live cd option. Essentially it is a bootable cd that contains the operating system, there are many distros that have this install type of linux. (with fear of starting a linux distro war) I would suggest having a quick look at Redhat/fedora and or mandrake. (but that is certainly not the be-all of it)

Next prob is the lack of USB ports and the requirement that you broadband modem requires to be connected directly to you pc and not through a hub?
I think this has already been covered from memory with either the pcmcia card or the docking station.(whatever takes you fancy)

and I think the latest thing was lack of speed? is this a general problem i.e. switching between applications, loading of programs. or is it specific to Internet activity?

Side note: I am also in favor of the Mozilla switch(Firefox&Thunderbird)

is your hard drive full, how much free space? with the defrag thing, how fragmented is your disk? (usually gives some sort of indication in the defrag program)

just to revisit the USB/satellite thing what sort of modem do you have? I ask this because from memory Telstra give you a program that does the connection for you and it may be possible to configure the modem to provide this for you. (although that being said it then going to create a maintenance nightmare for you if config setting ever change, so in fact forget my rambling :-D)

If none of this is relevant then please feel free to ignore my dribble ;)

cheers
Dean

[kiwigeo]

only problem is there's only one usb port on this laptop and it's used for broadband...i was thinking of a docking station type device so i can plug in , printer , external storage , broadband, wireless mouse, etc...
Dont take this the wrong way but to me it looks like youre going to end up toting a whole heap of bits and pieces around with your laptop. Youre going backwards with the portability. Do you want the portability just around your house or do you take it with you to work or elsewhere outside your house? If the machine rarely leaves the house and youre on a tight budget then Id look at a desktop....youll get alot more for your dollar and youve got more upgrade options.

Cheers Martin

[la Huerta]

ok ...i took Barry White's addvice and got the defrager going , took almost 6 hours ! , seemed to help a bit but i just came on line not long ago so i will do some surfing and see how it goes...

[la Huerta]

i just installed firefox and it's made a big improvement , which email is good and where do i download it, is thunderbird the one to go with firefox...

[la Huerta]

..........oh,and can i uninstall ie6 now ?

[la Huerta]

i just did some web surfing and the laptop is pearling along , it must have been ie6 that caused the problem, firefox is just so nice... sorry to be a pest, if someone could answer the above few questions for me that will be great...

cheers

[Barry_White]

la Huerta

The only problem with Firefox is when sometimes you click on a link in say an ezine I have had an error message come up and say "You are not using a compatable browser" or something like that. Sometimes that compatable browser is IE. Leaving IE there is only taking up space on your hard drive and it wont do any harm if it isn't opened. I occaisionally use IE.

[la Huerta]

cheers mate i will just leave it as is...and i just got thunderbird from the mozila website...cool


thanks heaps all............

ps. everyingone keep this thread going by adding any computer related stuff....

[la Huerta]

does anyone know how to delete temporary internet files and cookies in firefox ?

[ozplanit]

go to the "tools" menu
then the "options" menu item
once the options dialogue appears select the "privacy" button on the left,
on the right you will then be able to clear each individual category or you can "clear all" down the bottom.

enjoy